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Moses

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Holy Scripture › Moses

The question

"I speak with him face to face,even plainly,and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord" (Numbers 12:8). Did Moses really see God and speak to Him face to face?

The answer

Moses spoke to God without the intervention of any third person. He received the word of God directly and plainly from Him, not through the medium of dream, vision, parable, dark sayings, or the like. Moses did not see God for "No one has seen God at any time" (Jn 1:18) and "But He said, 'You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live'" (Exo 33:20). Moses saw the unmistakable evidence of the glorious presence of God "Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD" (Exo 34:5).

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 328 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.